diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/main/resources/cc.conf b/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/main/resources/cc.conf
index 9e9ac51..ccd35f8 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/main/resources/cc.conf
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/main/resources/cc.conf
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@
 [nc/asterix_nc1]
 txn.log.dir=target/tmp/asterix_nc1/txnlog
 core.dump.dir=target/tmp/asterix_nc1/coredump
-iodevices=asterix_nc1/iodevice1,asterix_nc1/iodevice2
+iodevices=asterix_nc1/iodevice1
+iodevices=asterix_nc1/iodevice2
 nc.api.port=19004
 #jvm.args=-agentlib:jdwp=transport=dt_socket,server=y,suspend=y,address=5006
 
@@ -26,7 +27,8 @@
 ncservice.port=9091
 txn.log.dir=target/tmp/asterix_nc2/txnlog
 core.dump.dir=target/tmp/asterix_nc2/coredump
-iodevices=asterix_nc2/iodevice1,asterix_nc2/iodevice2
+iodevices=asterix_nc2/iodevice1
+iodevices=asterix_nc1/iodevice2
 nc.api.port=19005
 #jvm.args=-agentlib:jdwp=transport=dt_socket,server=y,suspend=y,address=5007
 
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/resources/cc.conf b/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/resources/cc.conf
index a113e3a..158eaa0 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/resources/cc.conf
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/resources/cc.conf
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@
 [nc/asterix_nc1]
 txn.log.dir=target/tmp/asterix_nc1/txnlog
 core.dump.dir=target/tmp/asterix_nc1/coredump
-iodevices=target/tmp/asterix_nc1/iodevice1,../asterix-server/target/tmp/asterix_nc1/iodevice2
+iodevices=target/tmp/asterix_nc1/iodevice1,
+iodevices=../asterix-server/target/tmp/asterix_nc1/iodevice2
 nc.api.port=19004
 #jvm.args=-agentlib:jdwp=transport=dt_socket,server=y,suspend=y,address=5006
 
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/library/ExternalScalarPythonFunctionEvaluator.java b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/library/ExternalScalarPythonFunctionEvaluator.java
index a5eccce..2353c6d 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/library/ExternalScalarPythonFunctionEvaluator.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/library/ExternalScalarPythonFunctionEvaluator.java
@@ -91,11 +91,9 @@
         File pythonPath = new File(pythonPathCmd);
         List<String> sitePkgs = new ArrayList<>();
         sitePkgs.add(SITE_PACKAGES);
-        String addlSitePackagesRaw =
-                ctx.getServiceContext().getAppConfig().getString((NCConfig.Option.PYTHON_ADDITIONAL_PACKAGES));
-        if (addlSitePackagesRaw != null) {
-            sitePkgs.addAll(Arrays.asList(addlSitePackagesRaw.split(File.pathSeparator)));
-        }
+        String[] addlSitePackages =
+                ctx.getServiceContext().getAppConfig().getStringArray((NCConfig.Option.PYTHON_ADDITIONAL_PACKAGES));
+        sitePkgs.addAll(Arrays.asList(addlSitePackages));
         if (cfg.getBoolean(NCConfig.Option.PYTHON_USE_BUNDLED_MSGPACK)) {
             sitePkgs.add("ipc" + File.separator + SITE_PACKAGES + File.separator);
         }
diff --git a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/config/ConfigManager.java b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/config/ConfigManager.java
index c175dd4..0ba9090 100644
--- a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/config/ConfigManager.java
+++ b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/config/ConfigManager.java
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@
  */
 package org.apache.hyracks.control.common.config;
 
+import static org.apache.hyracks.control.common.config.OptionTypes.COLLECTION_TYPES;
+
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.Serializable;
 import java.lang.reflect.Array;
@@ -340,17 +342,27 @@
                 throw new HyracksException("Unknown section in ini: " + section.getName());
             }
             Map<String, IOption> optionMap = getSectionOptionMap(rootSection);
-            for (Map.Entry<String, String> iniOption : section.entrySet()) {
-                String name = iniOption.getKey();
+            for (String name : section.keySet()) {
                 final IOption option = optionMap == null ? null : optionMap.get(name);
                 if (option == null) {
                     handleUnknownOption(section, name);
                     return;
                 }
-                final String value = iniOption.getValue();
-                LOGGER.debug("setting " + option.toIniString() + " to " + value);
-                final Object parsed = option.type().parse(value);
-                invokeSetters(option, parsed, node);
+                final List<String> values = section.getAll(name);
+                if (values.size() <= 1) {
+                    LOGGER.debug("setting " + option.toIniString() + " to " + values.get(0));
+                    final Object parsed = option.type().parse(values.get(0));
+                    invokeSetters(option, parsed, node);
+                } else {
+                    if (option.type().targetType().isArray()) {
+                        Object[] val = values.stream()
+                                .map(v -> ((String) (COLLECTION_TYPES.get(option.type()).parse(v)))).toArray();
+                        invokeSetters(option, Arrays.copyOf(val, val.length, option.type().targetType()), node);
+                    } else {
+                        throw new HyracksException(
+                                "Multiple option values specified for unary option" + option.toIniString());
+                    }
+                }
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/config/ConfigUtils.java b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/config/ConfigUtils.java
index 1cc739c..c95a3d1 100644
--- a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/config/ConfigUtils.java
+++ b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/config/ConfigUtils.java
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.config.Section;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.config.SerializedOption;
 import org.apache.hyracks.control.common.controllers.ControllerConfig;
+import org.ini4j.Config;
 import org.ini4j.Ini;
 import org.kohsuke.args4j.CmdLineException;
 import org.kohsuke.args4j.CmdLineParser;
@@ -88,6 +89,9 @@
 
     public static Ini loadINIFile(String configFile) throws IOException {
         Ini ini = new Ini();
+        Config conf = new Config();
+        conf.setMultiOption(true);
+        ini.setConfig(conf);
         File conffile = new File(configFile);
         if (!conffile.exists()) {
             throw new FileNotFoundException(configFile);
@@ -98,6 +102,9 @@
 
     public static Ini loadINIFile(URL configURL) throws IOException {
         Ini ini = new Ini();
+        Config conf = new Config();
+        conf.setMultiOption(true);
+        ini.setConfig(conf);
         ini.load(configURL);
         return ini;
     }
diff --git a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/config/OptionTypes.java b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/config/OptionTypes.java
index 7088e08..0dcb7a4 100644
--- a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/config/OptionTypes.java
+++ b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/config/OptionTypes.java
@@ -20,7 +20,10 @@
 
 import java.net.MalformedURLException;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.stream.Stream;
 
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.config.IOptionType;
@@ -388,6 +391,13 @@
         }
     };
 
+    static Map<IOptionType, IOptionType> COLLECTION_TYPES;
+    static {
+        Map<IOptionType, IOptionType> collTypes = new HashMap<>();
+        collTypes.put(STRING_ARRAY, STRING);
+        COLLECTION_TYPES = Collections.unmodifiableMap(collTypes);
+    }
+
     private OptionTypes() {
     }
 }
diff --git a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/controllers/NCConfig.java b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/controllers/NCConfig.java
index ce299b0..eaf0418 100644
--- a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/controllers/NCConfig.java
+++ b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/controllers/NCConfig.java
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@
         IO_WORKERS_PER_PARTITION(POSITIVE_INTEGER, 2),
         IO_QUEUE_SIZE(POSITIVE_INTEGER, 10),
         PYTHON_CMD(STRING, (String) null),
-        PYTHON_ADDITIONAL_PACKAGES(STRING, (String) null),
+        PYTHON_ADDITIONAL_PACKAGES(STRING_ARRAY, (String[]) null),
         PYTHON_USE_BUNDLED_MSGPACK(BOOLEAN, true),
         PYTHON_ARGS(STRING_ARRAY, (String[]) null);